Spark arrester



July 1 1924!.

ADAMS SPARK ARRES-TBR Filed April 25,

Patented July ll, i924.

RALPH ADAMS, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

SPARK ARRESTER.

Application filed April 25, 1921. Serial No. 464,4.83.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH ADAMS, a citi- Zen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spark Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spark arresting devices which are used in connection with engines burning sparkthrowing fuel. Such a device, as well known, is usually applied to the stack of an engine, and functions to catch the sparks and divert them into a suitable cinder pocket or trap from which they may be removed as desired.

A great number of forest fires are caused each year by burning sparks from engines not equipped with eflicient spark arresters. To decrease this fire hazard, and the conse quent money loss, and to promote a better economic condition in the way of forest preservation, is the primary object of my invention.

It is also my purpose to provide an ehi cient and simple device.

The features which distinguish my device from all prior devices, and which make it more efficient than such others, consist of an arrangement and combination of parts which in the first instance imparts a centrifugal motion to the sparks and in this way causes them to be laterally discharged by the stack against a deflecting or baffling element and into a cinder trap provided on the inner walls of the housing of the spark arrester thus causing the sparks to fall harmlessly into a cinder conduit by which they are disposed of as convenient. Furthermore these parts are designed so as not to interfere with the draft.

These and other features of my invention are fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my spark arresting device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of same with the top plate removed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing one of the baffle-plates provided on the interior of the housing or smoke-bell of my spark arrester;

Fig. 4 is a larger scaled vertical section of the flaring toppiece mounted on the upper or discharge end of the stack, and by which a tendency to lateral motion is imparted to the sparks discharged by the stack; this section is taken on the line 44 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the part shown in Fig. t;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the lower deflector plate 6, mounted over the discharge end of the stack shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the upper deflector plate 7, mounted over the discharge end ofthe stack;

. Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of F 8; and

Fig. 10 is a detail in perspective of one of the baffle-plates which are provided on the interior of said smoke bell.

(1. represents the stack of an engine. A flaring top-piece b, shaped like an inverted frustrum of a cone is mounted on the upper end of the stack, and is provided on the in terior with vanes c, which are curved as shown in Figs. 1, 4t and 5.

Vertical arms d, fastened to the top piece I), provide rigid supports for the horizontal deflector plates 6 and f, which are supported one above the other, with their centers in axial alinement with the axis of the stack a.

The horizontal deflector Jlate e, is made with a center opening 9, and with radiating curved ribs h on its lower face. The deflector plate f is made with a conical, downwardly extending projection z, and with radiating curved ribs j on its lower face.

A. smoke-bell is, with a removable topplate Z and spark screen m, encompasses the top of the stack a, and the parts carried by the latter. The lower part 70 of said smoke bell 7c tapers towards, and is fastened on a cylindrical acket or conduit concentric with the stack, and the conduit 71 is supported on the stack a as shown in Fig. 1.

At the base of the conduit n is an outlet 91/ for discharging the arrested sparks; and the outlet 12. may be adapted to discharge the sparks into any convenient receptacle, or to return them to the fire box.

The interior of the smoke-bell 7c is provided with a series of vertically arranged baiiie-pl'ates 0, fixed thereto but spaced concentrically therefrom, said plates being arranged at an'angle to the inner periphery of said smoke bell, as clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 3; and each baffle-plate is provided with an angular lower part 0". These baffie-plates 0, overlap each other as shown by Fig. 2, and they function to arrest the centrifugal 01' whirling motion of the gases discharged by the stack a. The baffle-plates are spaced from th wall of the smoke-bell and from each other by the spacing elements p.

The operation of my invention is as follows: As the sparks are discharged by the stack, the exterior vanes c of the top-piece b,carried by the discharge end of the stack, will start said sparks whirling in a spiral path. When the sparks hit the deflector platese and f, they will be deflected laterally, that is, outwardly in a horizontal direction, and in a circular path, due to the deflection action of the curved ribs h and j provided on the bottom faces of said deflector plates. The sparks are whirled around by the draft, in the smoke-bell is, until they strike the battle-plates 0 projecting inwardly from the side walls of the smokebell. Th said baffle-plates will function to arrest the whirling sparks and cause them to drop down the inclined lower walls of the smoke-bell into the cinder conduit a, from the discharge outlet 91 of which the sparks are then delivered to any convenient receptacle thereby preventing the sparks from being carried abroad.

Thile my invention is subject to some variation in details of construction, I prefer the combination, construction and arrangement of the parts described, because actual practice tests have shown these as producing the best results.

I claim:

1. In a spark arrester, a stack, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, a horizontal deflector plate extending across the upper end of the stack but spaced therefrom, a smoke-bell encompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of the smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates affixed to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the inner periphery ofsaid smoke bell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the top of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behind said plates.

'2. In a spark arrester, a stack, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, a horizontal deflector plate extending across the upper end of the stack but spaced therefrom, said deflector plate being provided with radially curved ribs conforming to the curve of said spiral deflectors, a smoke-bell encon'ipassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of the smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates ailixcd to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the inner periphery of said smokebell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the top of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behind said plates.

3. In a spark arrester, a stack, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, two horizontal plates located over the discharge end of the stack spaced from the latter and each other, the lower of said deflector plates having a central opening, the upper thereof having a downwardly extending central conical projection, each of said deflector plates being provided on its lower face with radially curved ribs conforming to the curve of said spiral deflectors, a smoke-bell encompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of the smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates affixed to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the inner periphery of said smoke-bell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the top of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behind said plates.

4;. In a spark arrester, a stack provided with a flaring upper end, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, a horizontal deflector plate extending across the upper end of the stack but spaced therefrom, a smoke-bell eucompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on' th interior of the smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates aiiixed to, but spaced from the intcrior of the smoke-bell, and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the inner periphery of said smokebell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the top of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behindvsaid plates.

5. In a spark arrester, a stack provided with a flaring upper end, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, two horizontal plates located over the discharge end of the stack spaced from the latter and each other, the lower of said deflector plates having a central opening, the upper thereof having a downwardly extending central conical projection, each of said deflector plates being provided on its lower face with radially curved ribs conforming to the curve of said spiral deflectors, a smoke-bell encompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of the smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates aflixed to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arran ed at an angle to the inner periphery of said smokebell and extending a substantial distance below the distance below the discharge end of the stack, the top of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behind said plates.

In a spark arrester, a stack, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, a horizontal deflector plate extending across the upper end of the stack but spaced therefrom, a smoke-bell encompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of th smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates affixed to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the inner periphery of said smoke-bell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the top of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behind said plates, and an annular perforated baflle pendent from the discharge opening of the smoke-bell.

T. In a spark arrester, a stack provided with a flaring upper end, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack,

thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharge products of combustion before issuing from the stack, a horizontal deflector plate extending across the upper end of the stack but spaced therefrom, said deflector plate being provided with radially curved ribs conforming to the curve of said spiral deflectors, a smoke-bell encompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of th smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates aflixed to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the innor periphery of said smoke-bell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the to of the smoke-bell substantially closing t e upper ends of the spaces behind said plates.

8. In a spark arrester, a stack provided with a flaring upper end, spiral deflectors arranged longitudinally with, and on the interior of the upper end of said stack, thereby to impart a swirling motion to the discharged products of combustion before issuing from the stack, two horizontal plates located over the discharge end of the stack spaced from the latter and each other, the lower of said deflector plates having a central opening, the upper thereof having a downwardly extending central conical projection, each of said deflector plates being provided on its lower face with radially curved ribs conforming to the curve of said spiral deflectors, a smoke-bell encompassing the upper end of the stack, an annular cinder trap on the interior of the smoke-bell, said cinder trap comprising a series of vertically arranged, overlapped plates ailixed to, but spaced from the interior of the smoke-bell and concentric with the axis thereof, said plates being arranged at an angle to the inn r periphery of said smokebell and extending a substantial distance below the discharge end of the stack, the lower ends of said plates conforming with the contour of the adjacent portion of the smoke-bell, the top (of the smoke-bell substantially closing the upper ends of the spaces behind said plates, and an annular perforated baffle pendent from the discharge opening of the smoke-bell.

RALPH ADAMS. 

